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In the most powerful city in the nation, Washingtonians give back in more ways than public service and policy. These volunteer opportunities are the perfect place to go green, feed the city and decrease your carbon footprint.

The Anacostia Watershed has come to light more in the past several years than ever thanks to the inaugural DC bag tax that soon spread to Maryland after its success. The $.05 bag tax, charged whenever a shopper needs a bag, was put into place in order to deflect shoppers from taking a bag and instead use reusable bags. The reason behind this was because most plastic bags wound up in the Anacostia River. Contact the organization if you want to further foster the vibrant ecosystem of the Anacostia Watershed.

Casey Trees is well known in the Washington, DC area as the place to go for trees for your residence, but did you know that Casey Trees has a community engagement section of its company too? It offers tree planting, tree rebates and home shade trees. Everyone knows that trees are a great sustainable way of encouraging carbon sequestration, but they also offer shade to homes which can complement reduced energy bills. Casey Trees offers volunteer opportunities in tree planting, care and advocacy. You can register online for volunteer opportunities.

The Chesapeake Bay came into public light when it was given the shameful rating of a D for its overall health. With the farmlands of the delta dumping pesticides and excess nitrogen into the waters, there’s much to do to bring the bay back to its bountiful harvest that it once was. From policy to grassroots efforts, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities that will help bring back the bay and effect climate change in a positive way. Local activism is the key to making progress, so wherever you may be, you can help out our waterways.

Learning about the environment is the best gift for children. City Blossoms teaches youth about the ins and outs of sustainable gardening. With programs in environmental education, artistic expression, healthy living and community development, City Blossom works with local nonprofits in order to accelerate its mission. Have a project in mind? City Blossom can get you there. Email the organization with your ideas and it can try to make them a reality.

Bringing affordable, sustainable housing to the Washington, DC area, Greenspace focuses on education, research, assessments and policy engagement. Greenspace is best known for its leadership in the DC Green Building Act that works towards the development of sustainable buildings in the DC area. Offering advice and resources for building pros and policy makers, Greenspace can use volunteers that are in the know.

Jamie Hardin is the counter-culture
Washingtonian in the know. Inspired by food, sustainability issues, and public health, she prides herself on finding DC’s off-the-beaten path treasures. When she isnt enjoying organic food or reducing her carbon footprint, Jamie’s traveling on her scooter or walking her two pit bulls. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.